Australian Football

Match Report

The South Australian bragging rights remain with Port Adelaide after the first-ever Showdown at the Adelaide Oval resulted in a convincing win for the Power on a warm Saturday afternoon. In front of more than 50,000 fans, a game which never quite reached the heights of the two brilliant Showdowns played in 2013, saw Port Adelaide make the early running, withstand a strong comeback from the Crows in the second and third terms, and then run away with the match over the final quarter and a half.

Port drew the first Adelaide Oval blood with a Matthew Lobbe tackle on Sam Jacobs rewarded with a free kick which he converted in the second minute of the match. Neither side managed a major in the next 10 minutes as each team tried to settle into a pattern of play but Robbie Gray broke the deadlock with a wonderful running goal at the 12-minute mark to give the Power a 13-point lead. Gray also had a hand in the next goal when he grabbed a loose ball and passed it off to Brad Ebert who kicked Port's third. It was not until the 18th minute of the match that the Crows hot the scoreboard for the first time ever at the Adelaide Oval, with Lewis Johnston kicking a goal after Adelaide took the ball "coast to coast" after an Angus Monfries behind. But the rest of the quarter was dominated by the Power and goals to Justin Westhoff and Chad Wingard saw them take a commanding 28-point lead into then first break.

Adelaide needed to respond early in the second term and the Crows did just that, with a goal in the first minute to Eddie Betts. He followed up with another after a mark three minutes later and for the first time in the match, it felt as though the Crows were in it. Oliver Wines restored a four-goal lead to Port after a shocking Adelaide turnover but Mitch Grigg grabbed one back for the Crows after receiving a controversial free kick for a head-high tackle to cut the margin back to three goals. Travis Boak and Betts traded goals to close out the second quarter and the Power's lead at half time was a not insurmountable 18 points.

Surmount that lead is exactly what Adelaide did in the first half of the third quarter. The Crows dominated, and goals to Richard Douglas, Betts, Rory Sloane and Brodie Smith saw the Crows suddenly and unexpectedly two points ahead at the 13-minute mark. Mitch Grigg had the chance to take the margin beyond a goal a minute later but his snapshot hit the post.

And then, as suddenly as the Crows had turned the game around, they disappeared, for virtually the remainder of the match. The stung Port Adelaide kicked five goals in the second half of the third quarter, via John Butcher, Chad Wingard (twice), Gray and Jay Schulz, knocking the wind out of Adelaide's bag and allowing the Power to take a 28-point lead into the final term.

The Crows did kick the first goal of the last quarter through James Podsiadly but Hamish Hartlett responded for the Power a minute later and this time there would be no coming back for Adelaide. Every further Crow goal was answered with one from the Power and Port Adelaide in fact kicked the last four of the match to win running away by 54 points. Hamish Hartlett capped off a wonderful 29-possession game by winning the Showdown Medal.

The win gives Port a perfect 2-0 start to the season and there appear to be no signs of the second-season letdown forecast by some for Ken Hinkley's reign as Power coach. His team will travel to Docklands next Sunday to tale on North Melbourne. The Crows are at the other end of the scale, with a 0-2 record and a tough match against Sydney to come at the Adelaide Oval next Saturday.

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Wingard 4; Schulz 3; Gray, Wines, White 2; Lobbe, Ebert, Westhoff, Boak, Butcher, Hartlett
Adelaide: Betts 4; Grigg 2; Johnston, Douglas, Smith, Kerridge, Podsiadly

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Port Adelaide: Hartlett, Ebert, Cornes, Wingard, Schulz, Polec
Adelaide: Sloane, Douglas, Betts, Thompson, Smith,Grigg

BEST - ADELAIDENOW.COM.AU
Port Adelaide: Hartlett, Ebert, Schulz, Cornes, Wingard, Wines, Monfries
Adelaide: Smith, Sloane, Douglas, Betts, Jaensch

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Polec (cut head)
Adelaide: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Port Adelaide: Alipate Carlile replaced by Matt White at three quarter-time.
Adelaide: Lewis Johnston replaced by Jason Porplyzia in the third quarter.

UMPIRES: Fleer, Schmitt, Pannell

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Gerard Healy, Mark Ricciuto, David King